Soil contamination and safety in urban areas

Starting a garden to grow your own food is exciting, but how can you ensure your soil is safe? It’s not just lead you need to worry about—arsenic, cadmium, copper, manganese, and other contaminants can also pose risks. In addition, different plants absorb these chemicals at varying rates, so understanding your soil and the plants you grow is key. In this one-hour Master Class, delivered by Alistair Kirkpatrick we’ll cover: 

• History of soil contamination in Melbourne, the why, when and how. The sources and impacts are relevant to other cities
• Phytoremediation as a sustainable solution to soil contamination
• Techniques for growing food in contaminated soils other than phyto-remediation including how to properly collect soil samples for testing; what to do with test results and strategies for managing contamination and how plant choice affects chemical absorption and risk levels; 

The session will conclude with a group session where the participants are given a list of 5 edible plants that have been discussed and they need to work out the best way to grow these plants in contaminated soils based upon the discussion. 

By the end of this session, you'll have the knowledge to assess and manage soil safety, ensuring your food-growing efforts are both healthy and sustainable. 

This session is the first in a series called “Focus on Soil”. Other topics include Soil Compaction; Overview of soil health and role of fungi; Microbes and Minerals – Book the Series Package for discount. Friends of SGA receive a 15% discount on Master Class full price tickets. You can become a Friend of SGA here. Green Garden Professional (GGPs) receive a 30% discount.

Sustainable Gardening Australia (SGA) is a not-for-profit non-government organiation dedicated to achieving a healthy biodiverse planet.

Its driving purpose is to:

• Encourage, educate and enable home and professional gardeners to adopt sustainable gardening practices to protect or enhance the natural environment;
• Provide information, education and undertake research about the natural environment;
• Reconnect people to the natural world through gardening; and
• Ensure an understanding of the impacts that gardening decisions about chemical and resource use have on the natural environment well beyond their neighbourhood.